Immigrating to US vs. Switzerland

New
dilema53

New

dilema53
Dec 22, 2020 5 Comments

I'm a student, and I'm pretty sure I will get accepted to a MSc program in Switzerland. After that, I'll try to get a job and settle there. Many consider Switzerland one of the best places on Earth (QoL, high pay, good benefits, nice healthcare, low taxes for Europe, etc). It's much better than where I'm at (Eastern Europe).

But in our profession (SWE) US seems to provide better career opportunities. That is why I'm considering Washington (Seattle) and California (SV). I see that people here on Blind are mentioning "rat race" as one of the main cons of the US. But I really don't want that. I want to live a family life and TC hunt isn't all that important. I guess it's possible to do that.

The most worrying thing about Switzerland is the job market. For general/front-end SWE there seem to be very few openings. Google is the best employer. Oculus, Apple, Microsoft are really small and mostly focus on ML/CV. I mean there are other companies like Cisco and Logitech (in Lausanne), and others in Zurich but I'm not sure if it's worth being in Switzerland is worth it. Working for FAANG would be much nicer than Cisco/Logitech/Expedia/similar.

There's London though, but obviously Zurich >> London, and US >> London. So I'm only considering US and Switzerland for now.

Ideas? Where would you settle for a family-oriented life, but not sacrifice career totally?

I'd appreciate your input.

TC: student, but my internships were about 2k USD/mo.

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TOP 5 Comments
  • Amazon
    fj8hy65

    Go to company page Amazon

    fj8hy65
    I am from the US but want to move to Switzerland once I have enough saved with my wife. My wife can get an EU passport because her parents are Polish.

    You could consider going to the US for a short time (4-8 years), saving money, and going to Switzerland afterwards. 8 years in the US in Seattle or the west coast will make you a millionaire at least.
    Dec 22, 2020 4
    • New / Product
      kurkin

      New Product

      kurkin
      Wondering if your rate of savings is drastically higher than it would have been in Europe? I personally saved more and was able to afford much more in EU on $65k TC (not switzerland though), than in bay Area on $300k
      Dec 22, 2020
    • Amazon
      fj8hy65

      Go to company page Amazon

      fj8hy65
      Im not in the Bay (on purpose). So for me it’s fairly easy to save. I also live under my means
      Dec 22, 2020